It has been said that nature is God's second book; second to the Bible of course. I am very inclined to believe that statement as it is so easy to see the fingerprints of God all over the great outdoors. From the tiniest insect to the majesty of the mountain you can see that God certainly knows how to impress.
When I was dating Ginger, my wife, we would spend lots of time outdoors on their farm in rural North Carolina. We roamed all over much of the 50+ acres the family had there and loved almost every minute of it. Almost because I fell off a horse or two. Not fun at all. But what was fun was riding the four-wheelers all over the place. Those things were so much fun and we rode them hard. One day in mid-fall we were all out riding through the woods and mud just having a great time when I got the great idea to try and cross a downed tree.
It had been there for quite some time and looked very crossable. So I got up my speed approached the tree squarely and began to make my way over it. However, I did not have the ground clearance to make it across. Yes, after the front tires pushed across the log I ended up high-centered and stuck. My friend gladly agreed to help me get un-stuck. He pushed from the front as I revved up the four-wheeler trying to get the back tires to grab and pull me off the log.
Well, the pushing, revving, and tire grabbing all came together in a sudden moment of momentum and the four-wheeler not only came off the log but it did so with great speed. Before I realized it, I was falling backwards off an embankment about 5-6 feet high. As I fell backwards the four-wheeler came with me and for some reason I never let go of the handlebars and my feet never came off the foot-pegs.
There was no time to think only fall. But God was looking out for a foolish teenager that day and instead of falling on the river stones that lay scattered about the river bed I landed in a mud spot just wide enough for my back to fit in, and I landed still attached to the four-wheeler that just ever-so-gently laid right over to the side. It was if God allowed His angels to direct my fall so that I did not have any injury at all. I was not even sore the next day. Friends, if you ever have to fall backwards holding a four-wheeler I highly suggest you land in soft mud.
After the fall we kept riding and the day ended with us having had lots of fun and wearing lots of mud. As my mind goes back to that day I am so thankful for not landing on the rocks. I am so thankful that I did not receive any injury. While most of us have endured some sort of physical fall during our lives, all of us have fallen spiritually. It does not matter how smart we are or how tall or rich or whatever we may be. If we have are alive the Bible says we have sinned.
But we do not have to keep sinning just because it comes easy and natural. We have a God who is able to keep us from falling. Not just physically but spiritually. The trick to the whole thing, so to speak, is to stop trying to do it on our own. We have to let God have control of the heart and He will do His part. The Bible promises it to be true.
So where are you tonight? Have you fallen over and over into sin and are you getting tired of just going through the same spiritual ruts you were stuck in a year ago? Today can be the day that all of that changes. Today can be the day that you let Christ come into your heart and you let Him have full control. Which will you decide: stay a lost sinner or become a child of the King who has Jesus that is more than able to keep us from falling and will lift us up when we do? I pray that we will all chose Jesus.
Dear Father in Heaven,
We need You so much, and we just want to thank You for being so amazing to each of us. Thank You for all the times you keep us from falling and please pick us up for a fresh start when we do fall. We trust You to save us as we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
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